The improvement of iOS and Windows 8 applications, with an growth to a claimed 18 million tracks, helps make rara.com seem like a strong option for a streaming subscription music support. Nevertheless, in a highly competitive market with plenty of rivals, Lifehacker talked to CEO Nick Massey to ask the most obvious question: can anyone apart from Spotify win in this market?

Membership music providers can transform how you experience sound. Once you’ve registered, the possibilities good that you can play any track you can imagine, without attempting to dig out the CD or spending money on a permanent copy through a digital music store. You just need to an internet connection and a handful-of-cups-of-coffee fee every month.The challenge for a business promoting you a subscription is that, typically, everything looks very similar. You search; you build a playlist; you ask for suggestions. When every participant claims a data source of 15 million or more tracks, at best you’ll select the one that happens to have a cope with a label you like, or that provides to stream without counting your data allowance, or which supports the mobile phone you already use, or which you’ve heard of. In that last class, Spotify has a particular advantage.

As of yesterday, it’s also no problem, with rara.com launching official iOS apps, in addition to upgrading its existing Android app, rolling out a Windows 8 app later this week, as well as adding a bunch of indie deals that increase its claimed track base to 18 million songs. Up to now, so ticking the platform boxes. That advantage in songs will probably be temporary but each increase is welcome.The querry is still: with Spotify seeming like shorthand for streaming music for a lot of consumers and providing a free model provided you’re prepared to listen to ads, just how can a pay-from-the-start service like rara.com surive? CEO Nick Massey doesn’t seem worried, and says the organization has no curiosity about pursuing customers who don’t desire to spend money.

Someday, Massey predicts expansion to consoles, TVs and cars, though he won’t discuss specifics. While agreeing that a number of brands will dominate, he implies local content will still be important. We want just as much local content as possible possibly get hold of. Catalogue is essential. rara.com is about locating the hidden gems. You understand what you like, but you don’t really know what you want. That’s the main reason to drive content and we’ll certainly just continue with that.